‘Ain’t No Mo’ explores race, gender and politics through a comedic lens

Celina Colby

Celina Colby is an arts and travel reporter with a fondness for Russian novels.... VIEW BIO

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Speakeasy Stage and Front Porch Arts Collective are kicking off the January theater season with a laugh. Or rather, with a whole one hour and 40 minutes of laughs. Their joint production of “Ain’t No Mo,” by Jordan E. Cooper, examines what it means to be Black in America through a highly comedic and deeply poignant premise.

The show explores what life would look like if the United States attempted to “solve racism” by offering Black residents a one-way ticket to Africa, a place many have never been. Peaches, a no-nonsense drag queen, is the flight attendant boarding the plane and the through line of the production. With a series of vignettes of different characters making the journey, the production explores everything from cultural appropriation and gun violence to reproductive rights. 

“Jordan’s script is daring, confrontational, blisteringly funny and unapologetically rooted in the Black experience. It’s funny without sugar coating; it doesn’t ask white audiences to sit in their guilt,” says director Dawn Simmons. “Instead, it invites everyone, regardless of race, creed or orientation, ability or nation of origin, to witness the raw, unfiltered conversations happening in the Black community here and around the world.”

Grant Evan plays Peaches and is joined on stage by castmates Schanaya Barrows, Dru Sky Berrian, MaConnia Chesser, De’Lon Grant and Kiera Prusmack.

De’Lon Grant COURTESY PHOTO

For De’Lon Grant, who plays a number of male characters in the production, this is a dream opportunity. Grant saw “Ain’t No Mo” on Broadway a whopping five times and couldn’t get enough of the wit and humor.

“Art, and especially theater, allows us to say things in a safe space and be somewhat removed from the actual realities to think about the cultural implications and cultural concepts in that space,” says Grant. “We have a collective experience where we can say, okay, we’re on completely opposite aisles of this issue, but where can we meet?”

Each of the many characters depicted has a different outlook, which offers a peek into the diverse feelings about equity in the United States. Some characters have lost all hope of a brighter future, or been worn down by the fight; others have a consistent energy and enthusiasm about what’s to come.

“Ain’t No Mo” runs at the Boston Center for the Arts from Jan. 10 to Feb. 8. Tickets start at $25 and discounts are available for students, veterans, seniors and theater lovers under 35.

Grant hopes the safe space of theater encourages audiences to discuss the show afterwards.

“This piece allows us to laugh, this piece allows us to think, and I hope that people walk away wanting to talk about it, wanting to unpack the themes,” says Grant. “I think that’s when theater is super successful.”